Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale?

Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't. Point is it's here and ready to blow your house down.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is, as the name suggests, massive—in more ways than one, and it is actually a little bit frightening. Rumored to be the world's biggest, this mammoth of a book sale offers much more than any mental image those two little words could conjure up.

Picture this: Somewhere inside the World Trade Center lie thousands upon thousands of brand new books, a veritable universe of genres stacked up in one place, ready for the taking. Alright, not taking, exactly, but it's pretty damn close. At a discounts ranging from 60 to 80 percent off, you'd say so, too. And it's not just split between reference material and leisurely reading, either; posters, novelty books, and merchandise are also up for grabs at the Big Bad Wolf.

IMAGE Wikimedia Commons

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There's got to be a catch, though, right? Wrong.

“Everyone should have access to books,” says Miguel Mercado, their Marketing Head “that is our whole mission. And the fact that there's great learning material out there that people cannot access is frankly unfair... There are books for readers of all ages, but it's [awfully telling] that children make up our biggest demographic.”

In the era of the ebook (or age of the audiobook, whatever floats your boat) it's pretty refreshing—reassuring, really—to know that traditional print is still very much alive and very much loved. It's so obvious now: the way to up our numbers in literacy is to make reading accessible. And you know there's nothing like the smell of a good book.

We're the fifth country to be hosting this giant book sale, and our turn runs from February 16 to 25, 'round the clock. You read that right: the sale runs 24 hours a day for ten days, and admission is free.

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We know what you're thinking: ‘Is there a directory of some kind? If so, who can I contact? Can I check if Author X or Title Y will be in stock?’

The short answer is no. Not a list that we, as consumers, can check, at any rate. The long answer comes courtesy of Myra Chua, their Brand Manager: “That's not the kind of book shopping we want to promote,” she says, “because there's a joy in just browsing and picking up whatever catches your eye.” And therein lies the genius of the whole operation; the discount plus the hours allow you to do exactly that, and to pick up as many titles as your heart desires. Or near enough. Without a directory, they're actually opening you up to a wide new world of reading possibilities.

We have two tips to help you make the most of this incredible event: go during office hours, and bring a bag. Wheeled luggage, if you can. You can thank us later.